Ava Namen

Ava has recently graduated in Fashion Design and Pattern Making in Paris, where she has been based from the last 3 years. Originally from a small town in the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, she was meant to graduate at Architecture and Urbanism in the capital – but midway through she had realized that Fashion would fulfill more of her personal desires. These experiences have brought light to her magnetism towards materializing ideas, focusing on substantial and atmospheric studies rather than practices based purely on shapes and functionalism.

Finally deciding that she would work in the fashion industry, Ava has moved to São Paulo to start her studies. During this short period, many new experiences had happened in her life, mainly related to exploring possibilities of her gender and body performances. This has shifted her life completely, and later that year Ava has moved to Paris to continue her studies in a place that was unexpectedly conservative and with a much smaller trans community in comparison to Brazil.­ This contrast of cultures and hybrids of gender confrontations in her day-to-day life would then be her main inspiration when designing.

Prints, fabric developments and sourcing are definitely Ava’s strongest points, alongside her perseverance, down-to-earth and ambitious attitude. Her collections were always made in their majority with sustainable fabrics, dead stocks or vintage finds. Just as in her architecture experience, she is thrilled the most by the materials and possibilities they could offer. For these reasons, the Creative/Graphic/Product Design and Development areas are her main preferences to accomplishing during her next professional experiences - while also collaborating with diverse creative projects and producing made to order garments and accessories.

SINCE HER GRADUATION, AVA HAS WORKED FOR PEET DULLAERT AND LECOURT MANSION, BOTH BASED IN PARIS.